Check out folding kayak!

And they assemble in 5 minutes!
I look forward to feedback on those.

That could be handier than leaving a boat on my car all the time, if the paddling performance and handling characteristics are acceptable.

Okay, who’s going to pre-order?

I cannot…
resist :slight_smile: I’m pre-ordering.

There are a bazillion small glacial lakes scattered throughout the Wyoming mountains that need to be paddled by moi. They are trail access only, often a few miles off a dirt road. This is just the ticket.

Wish it weren’t so wide but it ought to be an excellent photography platform.

The price is quite reasonable.
I’m tempted.

The width might not be too bad. The deck is peaked enough that it might not be to bad of a knuckle knocker.

I figure I can…
turn it easily enough if I absolutely hate it but I’m thinking it will have a place in my fleet.

Be interesting to see what evolves with the touring model they have planned.

Quite honestly, I’m looking forward to taking a briefcase to a popular beach, magically making a kayak out of it and paddling off into the sunset :slight_smile:

should be out now
Being an ultralight folder fanatic, I’ve been watching this roll-out since last Fall. They used on-line investor harvesting to get the $85K they needed to start production – evidently there was such a large response they got 4 times that committed and sold out the first 3 runs as pre-orders.

I seem to recall the first deliveries were supposed to be January 2013. If all went well they should have shipped the first lot by now so I am waiting to hear how the early owners like their boats and how well they hold up.

I’ll let you know
Come April I should see mine.

See you on the water,


The River Connection, Inc.

Hyde Park, NY

I’m wondering how it will handle in
rough water? The paddler did not have on a skirt. What is the length, weight, deck height, etc.? Can it be rolled? What keeps the water from coming in at the seams?

some friends have paddled it
I have some friends who have paddled the pre-production version, and they said it is rollable and does handle rougher waters they were in.

The only seam is the one up the middle of the top deck, so any water egress should be minimal. All of the other fold points are still solid material, so shouldn’t leak.

Oru website has some answers.

two words
duck tape!


Car topping?
I have emailed them with my question but haven’t heard back yet–I expect they’re busy making kayaks.

I am very interested in this boat, not so much for its foldability but for its weight. What I would probably do is leave it assembled and transport it on my car top racks. I wonder if the material is strong enough to be strapped down tightly.

Anyone–especially those who have seen the boat up close–have an opinion?

Probably not designed for it
Popped into the bed of a pickup or stuffed into a station wagon = no sweat.

I wouldn’t think that the material was designed to be snugged against a bar. Being that it’s shown to assemble/disassemble so fast why bother with the roof top?

See you on the water,


The River Connection, Inc.

Hyde Park, NY

I can’t believe seasoned paddlers are
falling for this.


would tend to agree
IMO, this thing is a toy - there are no structural elements to provide rigidity, and foldable plastic? Even the manufacturer admits they only folded it a few hundred times - no UV testing, no nothing. “Plastic fantastic” is great, but I have yet to see a plastic that holds to folding well without developing micro-cracks - and those that do are rubber-like in their nature and do not hold it against UV - it’s just chemistry/physics. You have lots of folds that are not loaded equally, you have water and UV - both are great for creating free radicals. Not to mention problem with foot braces - how are you going to fix braces that actually last to a flexible skin? You can see RM and GF kayak side flex a bit sometimes when you apply a lot of pressure on foot rest - that kind of pressure likely to tear the bolts out of the plastic sheeting used here. I wish the manufacturer would put their money where their mouth is and release an independent test for 200000 folds in a UV rich environment. Money on plastic not passing it.

correct audience
I think this is meant more as a second kayak when travelling. They do say the plastic is rated to 20,000 foldings so it could hold up well. But like everything there are compromises and so I suspect this is best for those travelling a lot.

How many flexes does it take to count
as one fold? How many flexes are there in a 10 mile trip?

The folds aren’t created by flexing,
according to the website.

A Perfect Match…
The fold-down take anywhere bike from i-Ped® is perfect for people who live in apartments, condos, dorm rooms and other places where space is at a premium!
